Qedarites facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Qedarite Kingdom
مملكة قيدار
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| 8th century BC–2nd century BC | |||||||
Kedarites in the 5th century BCE
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| Capital | Dumah | ||||||
| Common languages | Old Arabic Aramaic |
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| Religion | North Arabian polytheism | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| King | |||||||
| Historical era | Antiquity | ||||||
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• Established
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8th century BC | ||||||
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• Absorbed into the Nabataean state
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2nd century BC | ||||||
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The Qedarite Kingdom, also called Qedar (Arabic: مملكة قيدار, romanized: Mamlakat Qaydar), was a group of ancient Arab tribes. They were mostly nomadic, meaning they moved from place to place. People called them "the most organized of the Northern Arabian tribes." Around the 6th century BCE, they became a powerful kingdom. They controlled a huge area in Arabia.
The Bible says the Qedarites were named after Qedar. He was the second son of Ishmael. You can find his name in the books of Genesis and 1 Chronicles. These books often mention Qedar as a tribe. The oldest writings found by archaeologists that speak of the Qedarites are from the Neo-Assyrian Empire. These writings are from the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. They list Qedarite kings who fought against the Assyrians and lost. They also name kings who paid tribute to Assyrian rulers. One of these was Zabibe, a queen of the Arabs.
Other old writings in Aramaic and Old South Arabian also mention the Qedarites. They also appear briefly in the works of ancient Greek historians like Herodotus. Roman historians like Pliny the Elder and Diodorus also wrote about them. It is not clear when the Qedarites stopped being a separate group. They were allies with the Nabataeans. It is likely that the Nabataean state took them over around the 2nd century BCE.
Contents
What Does "Qedarite" Mean?
Many believe the name Qedarites comes from Qedar, the second son of Ishmael. The name is Arabic. However, it was first written down in Assyrian (8th century BCE) and Aramaic (6th century BCE). This was because the Arabic alphabet had not been created yet. In an old book called Onomasticon, the Qedarites are listed as QDRYN in Aramaic.
The Arabic word root q-d-r has meanings like "to measure" or "to have power." Some scholars think the name Qedarites came from the verb qadara, meaning "to ordain" or "to have power." This idea comes from how important the Qedarites were among other tribes. But other scholars are not sure about this meaning.
Where Did the Qedarites Live?
The Qedarites were an "alliance of Arab tribes" who moved around. Historian Philip J. King says they lived in the northwest Arabian desert. They were a powerful group from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE. Another historian, Geoffrey Bromiley, says they lived southeast of Damascus and east of the Transjordan.
Assyrian writings from the 8th century BCE show the Qedarites living east of Babylon's western border. By the 7th century BCE, they moved further east into parts of the Transjordan and southern Syria. By the 5th century BCE, they had spread into the Sinai Peninsula and even reached the Nile Delta. The Qedarites controlled northwest Arabia. They formed alliances with kings of Dedan (Al-'Ula). Historian Israel Eph'al believes their wide spread means they were a group of tribes with different smaller parts.
Oases (water sources in the desert) were very important to the Qedarites. Places like Dedan, Tayma, and Dumah were centers for living, trading, and getting water. Dumah was the most important oasis. It was a remote desert city, later known as al-Jawf. Dumah was located between the powerful empires of Babylonia and Assyria. It was a base for Qedarite religious events. Its location on a major trade route meant both empires wanted good relations with its people. Dumah and the Qedarites were closer to Babylonia in location and politics. Anyone coming from the south who wanted to reach Mesopotamia had to pass through Dumah. It also lay on another route to the northwest, leading to Damascus. From Damascus, one could go to Assyria and Anatolia.
During the time of Persian rule (around 550–330 BCE), the Qedarites controlled the desert areas next to Egypt and Israel. They also controlled the incense trade that Gaza relied on. Herodotus (around 484–425 BCE) wrote that they were in the northern Sinai near the Egyptian border. The Persian rulers, called the Achaemenids, might have used them to keep that border safe. They also helped the Persians control Gaza.
Qedarite Life and Culture
The Qedarites had more contact with the outside world than other Arabian tribes. Like other nomadic groups, they mostly lived in camps that were not fortified. They were herders and traders of animals like lambs, rams, and goats. They also played a big part in the success of Gaza's incense trade. They controlled the trade routes in the desert between Egypt and Palestine. Because of their trading, some Qedarite families became very rich.
The Qedarites were under Assyrian rule and often fought against them. But when the Persian empire became powerful, it helped the Qedarites. The Qedarites controlled trade routes that were useful to the Persians. This led to a friendly relationship, as described by Herodotus.
Language and Names
The Qedarites were among several North Arabian tribes who met Aramean tribes starting in the 8th century BCE. This led to cultural sharing between these two large Semitic groups. Early Arab tribes like the Qedarites spoke Old Arabic. But since the Arabic alphabet was not yet invented, they used the Aramaic alphabet for writing. In some old Jewish texts, "the tongue of Kedar" was a name for the Arabic language.
It was common for Qedarite boys to be named after their grandfathers. This practice is called Papponymy. Some Qedarites had Aramaic names, while others had Arabic names. Over time, the Aramaic people and their culture were slowly absorbed by the Arabs. Today, Arabic dialects in places like Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Iraq still show the influence of Aramaic.
Religion and Beliefs
The Qedarites, like most people in Arabia before the 7th century CE, worshipped many gods. Their religious practices often focused on female idols and female worshippers. Assyrian writings mention the gods and goddesses worshipped by Qedarite Arabs. These included Atarsamain, Nuha, Ruda, Daa, Abirillu, and Atarquruma. The female guardian of these idols, usually the queen, acted as a priestess. She was believed to communicate with the spirit world. There is also proof that the Qedarites worshipped Al-lāt. An inscription on a silver bowl from a Qedarite king is dedicated to her. An ancient Jewish text, the Babylonian Talmud, says that most Qedarites worshipped pagan gods.
Qedar's Tomb
There is a tomb believed to belong to Qedar in Qeydar city, in Zanjan Province, Iran. This tomb is inside a Shia mosque. Qedar's grave is covered by an iron grill. People from different religions, including Shia, Sunni, and Christians, visit this mausoleum.
Family History and Connections
The Bible describes the ancient political and cultural map as a set of family trees. Biblical figures three generations after Terah are often named as the founders of different tribes and kingdoms. These groups interacted with the Kingdom of Judah between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE. This is true for the Qedarite Arabs. The Bible says they are descendants of Abraham, Ishmael, and Qedar.
A scholar named Hisham Ibn Muhammad al-Kalbi (737–819 CE) tried to connect Ishmael and the Islamic prophet Muhammad through family lines. He used writings from the Bible, Palmyra, and old Arab oral stories. His book suggests that all people known as "Arabs" are descendants of Ishmael. Another scholar, Ibn Kathir (1301–1373), wrote that "All the Arabs of the Hijaz are descendants of Nebaioth and Qedar." Old Jewish writings also often linked Qedar with Arabs or Muslims.
Some scholars were unsure about this idea of "genealogical Ishmaelism." They thought it was made up later in Islamic times. This was because the term "Arab" became very broad, including people from both southern and northern Arabia. But if we look at it more carefully, the idea is simpler. It only applies to certain groups among the Arabs before Islam. Muhammad himself said some Arabs were Ishmaelites and others were not. This more limited idea means Ishmael was an important religious figure and an ancestor for some Arabs in western Arabia.
In Arab family histories, great importance is given to Ishmael's first two sons, Nebaioth and Qedar. They are also important in the Bible's book of Genesis. It is likely that they and their tribes lived in northwest Arabia. They were historically the most important of Ishmael's twelve tribes. When Arab scholars trace the ancestry of Muhammad back to Ma'ad ibn Adnan, some say the line goes through Nebaioth, while others say it goes through Qedar.
See also
In Spanish: Kedaritas para niños
